Thing 23

I did it! All 23 Things!

I feel like Helene Blowers is my best friend and it would be nice to meet her someday. It's truly amazing how much I've learned these past couple months. This exercise opened my eyes to many new innovations in web technology I never knew existed. And the most amazing thing is I'm using some of them in my daily work already and have plans to use others soon!

My Favorite Things (to name just a few) :

• YouTube
• Web-based apps (word processing and spreadsheets)
• Podcasts
• Wikis
• RSS feeds/Bloglines
• Digital books
• Web 2.0 awards list
• Online image generator

Least Favorite:

• Rollyo
• Flickr

With this exercise, my list of lifelong learning goals has now grown to include more of these web 2.0 "things" and to try to keep up with trends in technology. The more I explore and learn, the more I discover that I really don't know and these become new goals for me. As I said in my first post about life-long learning, technology is the easiest for me, but also the hardest. I love playing to "learn" how to use technology, but the hardest part is keeping up with all of the new "things" that keep developing.

The only suggestion I have for improvement, is that it would be helpful to have some feedback from the blogteam that we have completed the program successfully.

Absolutely, if you offered another discovery program like this in the future, I would definitely chose to participate

Week 9 - Thing 22

E-books. I love them! My husband is a prolific reader of e-books and has been downloading them onto his pda for several years now. I am very familiar with our digital books page on the library website. We have many of the latest fiction titles in e-book, but it's also exciting to see all of the nonfiction available. The feature I like the best is that they check themselves in when they are due. My husband's pda requires the mobipocket format for a download, so he's always looking for titles compatible with his player.

I love listening to audio books when I'm driving. So downloading e-books in audio will let me mutiltask while listening. For this exercise, I opened an account on NetLibrary. I am ready to download e-books for an mp3 player in the mp3 format. Can't wait!

Week 9 - Thing 21

I love listening: I love podcasts! It's nice just to sit back and listen instead of always reading. I searched all 3 podcast directories suggested, but I liked the yahoo podcasts the best. Very easy to search and get pertinent results.

On Yahoo Podcasts, I retrieved the RSS podcast for Nancy Pearl Book Reviews. I once went to a Back to the Book Workshop sponsored by NOLA, and she is great! I guess now I'll have to order a Librarian action figure. I can't wait to hear her book reviews everyday!!! And I found NPR Books Podcast.

On another note, I found a great podcast on Podcast.net, Classic Radio and Movies Network, and also added this to my feed. This one is great! I found it on the list of "Most recently added podcasts". Check this one out. It demonstrates that even classic movies are on podcasts!

I added all 3 podcasts to my Bloglines RSS feed.

Did I find anything useful here? Absolutely!!! The more I search the podcast directories, the more podcasts I want to listen to. And when we create our Poland Library Teen Blog, we will definitely want to include a podcast on it.

I am hoping to add my own podcast to my blog, but the link on the learning 2.0 page didn't work. I see that Yahoo has a "Publish a Podcast" page, http://podcasts.yahoo.com/publish . I'll have to look into that.

Week 9 - Thing 20

YouTube is a lot of fun. I love it!!! Who doesn't like watching videos, and even the videos of the most mundane things are fun. The best part about this site is that it is so easy to search. And I'm amazed at how many videos there are to choose from on each topic I search. Wow! The homemade videos are so much fun.

I chose 2 videos to add to my blog. In the first, someone is singing "Does your chewing gun loose it's flavor on the bedpost overnight", one of my favorite songs, while strumming the banjo. I choose it because it's just plain fun. I love that song - It makes me happy. Secondly, I choose a Christopher Walken video that my daughter shared with me (she is my connection to the younger generation).

I searched libraries and came up with the March of the Librarians video, which is a bunch of librarians at an ALA convention. This is the most mundane video, but I love it, too. Totally cool! I may add this one, too, if my blog has room for a 3rd video.

Putting a video on the library website would be a very appealing feature. It could display info about programs or new offerings at the library. And updating it monthly would be incentive for people to keep coming back to the site.

Week 8 - Thing 19

I'm already familiar with some of these Web 2.0 sites. I"ve used Craigslist before. That's what all the young people use as online classifieds. The subject headings on this site are web 2.0 tags. We used it to look for an apartment in Cleveland for my daughter's internship in the big city this summer. And my daughter at Kent uses Facebook all of the time to talk to her friends.

So for this discovery exercise, I explored the Mashup, Ning. I first heard of Ning when I was reading the YALSA (ALA) website and discovered that they have a Ning. Ning is described as a way to Get Your Own Social Network! They claim to be the only online service where you can create, customize, and share your own Social Network for free in seconds. And they call themselves a Home Depot in terms of social networking, saying that if you have the time and the inclination, you can build the network yourself. And you can choose which networks you want to join. There are network tags and also a search feature to find which network(s) you want to join.

Ning, like all mashups, puts an emphasis on interactive user participation and would be great for library staff and patrons to network and communicate. Actually, the library could have a Ning like YALSA does. YALSA has one main Ning, divided into 4 main separate subject areas. The library's Ning could be 1. Reader's advisory and post your own comments and reviews about the latest books you've read (or new books at the library) 2. DVD and music networking 3. Children's books 4. Teen book discussion. The thing I dislike about Ning is people have to join in order to post, and that my inhibit some from participating.

Web-based Apps: Posted through Google Docs

Web-based Apps: Posted through Google Docs

I thought it would be interesting to try Goodle Docs, too. Google Docs differs from Zoho in that both the Word Processing and the Spreadsheet appear to be in the same application. All you have to do is click the New Folder on the top left and choose either Document or Spreadsheet. Once again, I like the fact that I can save it online, without going into layers of folders on the computer or on a flash drive (and if the computer crashes, you still have your document!). And it saves with each new entry as you're working on the document, and can be access under the Revisions tab. This is great stuff! No more lost documents.

And it appears you can upload and email documents to your own unique address in this program to continue working on them through Google Docs (of course, I'll have to write down that address to remember it, it was a long string of characters). Under the Share tab, like a wiki, you can give permissions for others to add or edit the document. I'm impressed with this new techonology, and I never even new it existed.

Week 8 - Thing 18 Part 2

I am posting this entry from Google Docs.

Thing 8 Revisited

On reviewing the instructions for RSS Feeds, I noticed at the bottom of the instruction page that we were suppose to "share" our bloglines in a blogroll. So tonight I created a blogroll of my RSS Feeds on my blog. And I also included a link to my public bloglines account as suggested by Helen Blowers. Totally cool! This is a better way to access my feeds rather than always going to bloglines for them.

In the Thing 8 Discovery Exercise, Part 2, we were suppose to subscribe to at least 3 of Charlotte's Feeds. I did add the Learning 2.0 feed to my blog, because it appears that it will help to reinforce the learning 2.0 principles I'm learning as I go back and read it. But I couldn't see a reason to add the Charlotte.Com news feeds, since I'm not from Charlotte and I'm already on other news and entertainment feeds. I really wanted to add PLCMC's Reader’s Club new review feeds, but it is no longer a feed. The PLCMC Competency Blog entries were dated 2006, so since it appears not to be an active blog any longer I didn't subscribe to it. But I am on the Unshelved feed.

I think I have now completely finished Thing 8. I like RSS Feeds. Neat!

Zoho post

Thing 18 Post 1. 

 

I created a Zoho account. Then I tested it out.  This is truly amazing!  It's like Microsoft Office online, but better. You actually save the document onto Zoho on the Web!

 

Zoho writer has some neat features.  I changed the color of my skin from sea blue to pale orange and back to sea blue again.  I easily inserted symbols: ♥  (the black suit heart) and Π (pi) in case I have a math problem to tackle.

 

Zoho Template writer has 50 templates to choose from.  Includes even a recipe template. Wow!

 

I love the fact that my document is saved online.  I wonder how much I can save on Zoho before my space is filled?

 

 

Neat!       

Week 8 - Thing 18

Web-based Apps: online productivity web-based applications -word processing and spreadsheets.

I am publishing this post through Zoho writer onto my blog.

Week 7 - Thing 17

Sandbox Wiki: "Sandbox" is the term that wikis often use to describe the area of the website that should be used for pure play.

First, I created a login for myself and then linked my blog to the PB Sandbox. Then I uploaded the PB pic to this post. Then I added 3 of my all-time favorite movies to the wiki, making the font a little bigger and bolding the titles. And added my favorite music, too. It was easy.

This is fun! It's like making a website without worrying about perfecting the HTML markup language. Now I want to create a wiki. So far this is the most fun of everything I have learned!!!

Week 7 - Thing 16

Definition: Wikis can essentially be used for anything where collaboratively developed content or easy Web editing is desirable. Internally they can make it easier to share information among librarians. Externally, they can make the library’s website a true online community.

When I first read about wiki's, I was a little skeptical concerning the authenticity of information, especially in regards to the Wikipedia. Yet after the readings for Thing 16, I learned it's more about sharing information and ideas. Yes, there is a place for this type of social networking to broaden the scope of information available.

This has large implications for libraries. A wiki would be a great communication tool for librarians and local teachers. Librarians could share new books and upcoming programs at the library, and teachers could share upcoming assignments that students may be coming to the library to use.
Committee meetings can be extended through the use of a wiki where all members contribute to share information. And I loved reading about the different examples of wiki's already in use in libraries.

Although those are only a couple examples, the implication for libraries means that the library can become the focal point of the community. By using wiki's, people in the community can share information - ideas and experiences - and the library information becomes a richer information source, making the library’s website a true online community. And isn't this what it's all about?

By the way, I learned by surfing around "Thing 16" that there is a library 2.1 for us to learn next!

Week 6 - Thing 15

Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the future of libraries. Library 2.0 is term used to describe a new set of concepts for developing and delivering library services.

I see Library 2.0 as a way for libraries to keep up in an ever-changing information atmosphere. There has been a definite shift (and for many a preference) for information from books to an easy "click" on the Internet to the "answer", without having to sift through words on pages of books to find what they're looking for. And now, rules are changing or maybe there are no rules, structure (such as strict subject headings) is loosening, and everyone, not just librarians, is involved in the process of finding information (in creating labels and tags), not just when the library is open, but access 24/7.

Through library 2.0, libraries must learn about the new technologies, and then take it one step further; they must find a way to use it - to incorporate it into library service to become an integral part of this new information network, thereby finding their niche as a player in the information revolution. User needs are changing, the way people use library service is changing, especially for the technologically savvy younger generation, and libraries have to jump on the bandwagon to change to meet these users needs, or be left behind.

From the article, Away From Icebergs, I like the sentence, "One-button commands, such as Flickr’s “Blog This,” and easy-to-use programs like Google Page Creator, offer promising models for this kind of user-centric service." Libraries of the future need to move toward services that patrons can easily use on their own and don't require one-on-one training for information access. Our 24/7 web access is a step in this direction.

From, Into a New World of Librarianship, "This librarian bases all planning and proposals for services, materials and outreach on user needs and wants. User-centered libraries breakdown barriers and allow users access wherever they are: home, work, commuting, school, or at the library." This is a must to keep patrons as lifelong library users. And "a Librarian 2.0 embraces Web 2.0 tools"- we must join and be a player in this information network.

From, To More Powerful Ways to Cooperate, “users add value. For OCLC and its member libraries, this means expanding our definition of “collective intelligence” beyond the library professional to faculty, researchers, library patrons and others by building into our systems services that encourage these users contribute their expertise to the cooperative." This is certainly a new way of thinking in the library community which is possible using library 2.0 tools.

From, To Better Bibliographic Services, "Libraries should get much greater mileage out of the metadata they create." Expanding and broadening bibliographic services through library 2.0 processes would make library sources extremely valuable in the future.

From, To a Temporary Place in Time, "the LIBRARY: a WiFREE space, a retreat from technohustle, with comfortable chairs, quiet, good light, coffee and single malt. You know, the library." Ahhh, I love my library.

For me, library 2.0 means that I need to forge ahead and keep abreast of the latest trends in information technology and the way information is shared. I need some type of link to learn about new trends as they develop, and then I need to use them and become part of this new information network. This should be a goal for all of us in the information profession, to aspire to keep up in this fast-paced world of change. This is one reason I enjoy working with teens and young people so much, because they keep us aware of the latest cultural trends (and keep us younger than our years) in an ever-changing information-driven society.

Week 6 - Thing 14

I spent a lot of time with Technorati, the search engine for the blogosphere. I never realized there were so many blogs! I did an advanced search of library 2.0 in Blog posts and retrieved 23,725 results, in tags 19,485 results, and in the Blog Directory 353 blogs. I like the tag search because it shows related tags which can broaden the search to find something even more interesting. The interesting thing in comparing popular blog posts, searches, and tags, is that many of the same blogs come up in each category.

I'm interested in starting a watchlist, but not sure I really want to open a Technorati account. I don't feel confident enough about my posts that I want other people searching them. So far, this is the first "thing" I haven't opened an account on. I did see a blog on OPLINLIST that I would want in my favorites, so I may come back later and claim my blog.

One thing for sure, with all of this new technology terminology, we need an updated dictionary that includes all of these new words for the next time we play scrabble!

Week 6 - Thing 13

I spent a lot of time studying Del.icio.us, created a Del.icio.us account, and downloaded the buttons onto my Firefox browser at home. Then I started bookmarking sites and creating tags. I can see how Del.icio.us could be a helpful tool for finding additional info (sites) on a topic using the tags, and really increase the dimensions of a search by branching out in several different directions, including people. I also created a Del.icio.us network badge for my blog.

Somehow, my LibraryThing widget that was working right suddenly isn't working right now, so I have to go back and see if I can fix it.

Week 5 - Thing 12

It took me awhile, but I created two searchrolls on Rollyo, Storytelling and Storytime Resources. I also added several other subject searchrolls from Rollyo to the rollbar for my blog, so I can actually use it. I think that doing a search on a special index of sites like this will possibly retrieve more relevant results on the subjects I research the most. Here is a link to one of my searchrolls on Rollyo, http://rollyo.com/lkucalaba/storytelling/

Libraries I Love

I love libraries! I love working in libraries, being a patron in libraries, and visiting libraries as I travel. I've decided to leave a picture trail of libraries that have been a part of my life. I've only run into one problem with this. Some of my libraries have been moved and/or totally renovated. So I guess the new renovation for a library will work in my picture trail.

Week 5 - Thing 11

I really liked the Library Thing. The hardest part was remembering my favorite books.
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/lkucalaba

Week 5 - Thing 10

The Image Generator Thing was pretty easy. The choice was the hardest part! Might come back later and add another.

Week 4 - Thing 9

I found "Search Tools for Newsfeeds" a little confusing at first, but I've finally discovered this is an easy way to find RSS feeds on topics that really interest ME, not just the news. Through Syndic8 I found "Teen Reads", a feed like the Teen Reads website, and this interests ME. I also looked throughout Feedster, Topix.net and Technorati , and arrived at my best favorite feed of all: MrDealFinder: Free Online Coupon Codes
These are online coupons, promotion codes, discounts and free coupons for Dell, Amazon, Kohl's, Target, Best Buy, Overstock, Sears and many other online stores. So there are feeds to interest everyone, even me.

I still would like to create a widget on Feedster, but I haven't quite figured it out yet. And I'm planning to add a Feed Icon in the address bar on the Mozilla browser we use at home for quick linking of feeds. This is great stuff.
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Week 4 - Thing 8

Wow!!! I love this RSS feed! I must have read everything at least 4 times so I understand everything about it, because it looks like something I will definitely use and pass on to others. Cnet.com has all sorts of informational articles, reviews, updates, and suggestions for getting the most out of this technology, in addition to listings of various readers available. Great site!

This is really useful to keep updated in our library work for reference, children's work, technology, news, and for EVERYTHING.

I opened my bloglines account, set-up my own news reader, and subscribed to more than 10 news feeds. I love the option to search by subject for feeds, and that these feeds can be on any topic. I'm lovin' it!

Week 3 - Thing 7

I love technology and it's a challenge to keep up. I love using HTML to build a web site, although I hear from my daughter who is working as an intern on the IT team doing website work for a major company, that out in the real world that's all moved to CSS.

If I had more time (and money), I'd love to learn more about the new pdas such as the Dell Axim and of course the new Apple iPhone. My husband has an Axim that he uses for e-books, movies, etc. and he takes it everywhere. The iPhone is out of reach at this point... I'm still waiting for the cost of Internet on a regular cell phone to come down. Yet, if we can dream, the challenge of the iPhone is quite appealing!

Week 3 - Things 5 & 6

I've spent a lot of time on Flickr, so it's probably time to move on, although I am a detail person and that's what I do. Plan to come back here later and explore fd's Flickr Toys where I can make all sorts of badges, posters, widgets, and other fun things. I'd also like to try the Trip Planner by Yahoo! Travel. I could use some help organizing our trips and hopefully this may be it. Left the link here to the Third Party Flickr Apps as quick access in the future: www.flickr.com/services/

Week 3 - Thing 6

Got slowed down a little tonight. I tried to label my Oklahoma Wildflower "23 Things", but whenever I "published" it, the link to the original picture on Flickr disappeared. I tried that several times before deciding to leave the label off. I also tried to use Maprr, but discovered that it hasn't been activated on Flickr yet; would like to try it when it's ready. But I had success using "Spell with flickr". That was fun!

Oklahoma Wildflowers

Oklahoma Wildflowers
Originally uploaded by songbyrdmt

I searched "farm" on Flickr and found this picture of wildflowers that I love! There were so many amazing pictures to choose from. I have discovered that there are so many varied aspects to Flickr that I could probably keep exploring just Flickr until Nov.2nd.

Week 3 - Thing 5

I opened my Flickr account and linked it to my blog. I like the way I can use my "Leave it to Linda" user name in all of these web addresses so I can remember them. Still have to play around with this some more. There never seems to be enough time to explore everything I want to do!

Zucchini's In!

Sauteed zucchini with dill Wednesday, zucchini with cheddar Thursday, zucchini bread Friday, and zucchini soup today. Any new ideas for zucchini?

Week 1 - Things 1 & 2

I can do it, coach! The Seven and 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners can be summed up in my favorite quote from my favorite movie, Rudy, "I can do it, coach!"

I am very anxious and excited to begin learning library 2.0! I love learning new things!!!

The habit that is easiest for me is also the hardest for me: Use technology to my advantage. Technology is always changing and it's hard to keep up, but we love a good challenge!

Weed of the Week

Gotta Go! Time to watch the Hefty Brothers with the "Weed of the Week" on Ag PhD (station RFD on cable, Direct TV 379). http://www.heftyseed.com/agphdtv.html

Week 2 - Things 3 & 4

Wow!!! I did it! My blog is online and ready to go. The hardest part was choosing a name, which I spent absolutely too much time agonizing over . It took me two tries to get it right. I had created my first blog and wasn't satisfied with the name, so I deleted my first blog and created another. Leave it to Linda to keep the blogteam busy updating my records.